And you as well must die
by Salazar Marvolo
Summary: In which Ichigo is born with the one thing Aizen longs for – Immortality. 'Yes, flinging himself into the river beneath Karakura Bridge had been a tad extreme, but not even Rukia could tell him he was wrong when he emerged unharmed not even ten minutes later.' Warnings: Suicide
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey! This random plot bunny plagued me for hours last night and I decided to write it down. I hope you like it! I don't think anything like it has been written before...but I could be wrong...there are so many fanfics out there. **_**  
**_

**Summary: **In which Ichigo is born with the one thing Aizen longs for – Immortality.

'Yes, flinging himself into the river beneath Karakura Bridge had been a tad extreme but not even Rukia could tell him he was wrong when she saw his body bend into an impossible shape upon impact with the water surface and seeing him emerge form the river not ten minutes later.'

**Warnings: Mention of Suicide/ actual Suicide. Slight OOC Ichigo. **

* * *

The first time it happened Ichigo saw his mother die.

They had been walking back from his Kendo training. He had been talking to his mother excitedly, face turned towards the riverbank. That's when he had seen her - a little girl, not much older than him. Her hair was black, and she was staring out into the river, seemingly unbothered by the heavy rain soaking her clothes. She had been standing besides the riverbank. So close to it that she could slip and fall at any moment.

Without thinking he had already made a dash for the girl, concern and the urge to protect too deeply ingrained thanks to him having two little sisters.

The next moment he only felt pain.

He stared down at his body, disbelieve filling his eyes.

A long claw imbedded into his chest, blood was flowing onto the ground and mixing with the mud and rain at his feet. A distant scream reached his ears as he felt warm liquid run out of his mouth.

Then.

Nothing.

He was floating in darkness.

It was comforting. It was warm.

He felt protected. He didn't wish to wake. He never wanted to leave. There was a deep tiredness dragging at him, making him want to curl into the ball and let the darkness swallow him hole.

_Thumb _

He was startled out of the darkness suddenly, without any warning or call.

He could feel rain hitting his face, something heavy was weighing down on his chest.

Carefully he cracked his eyes open.

His mother.

She was laying on top of him, her auburn hair covering her face – but he did not need to see her eyes to know she was dead. He lifted his arms, grabbing at her shirt – hoping against hope that she would get up and smile at him once more.

Yet nothing. His fingers trembled as he lifted them towards his face only to see them covered in crimson. Tears burned at the edges of his eyes as he shook his mother once more – calling out to her.

She never answered him again.

It was only much later, after he had been found and brought back home. After his father had clutched him close and Ichigo had felt his tears soaking into his neck, that he thought back on what had happened to him.

The claw that had pierced his chest. The pain had felt real – tangible. The feeling of floating and darkness – it had all seemed so real.

Could it have been shock? He remembered some of the doctors and his father talking about it. But was that something shock could do? Give him the impression that he had been hurt?

No…that he had…died?

.

.

.

The second time it happened he never saw it coming.

He was 14 and walking back from school. The day was humid, and the sun was glaring down on him mercilessly.

There were very few people outside, and if they were they seemed to hurry to reach their homes and destinations as quickly as possible to escape the scorching heat. Ichigo had reached out with his hand to lift his shirt and get some much-needed cooling.

He hadn't watched as he crossed the street. The blaring of the horn was the last thing reaching his ears before he knew no more.

There was darkness again. It seemed familiar. Almost welcoming. It was comfortable.

It was warm. It felt like his mother had – safe and kind.

_Thumb_

Again, he was startled out of it without any cause or reason. He sat up with a startled gasp. He was lying in the middle of the street a man was kneeling next to him and gaping.

"Oi!" The man said, seemingly getting over his shock. "A-are you okay?"

Ichigo nodded mutely. He got up and looked around, his bag had landed a few steps away. Without another word he picked it up and turned to leave.

"W-wait a second!" He heard the man call behind him.

Ichigo didn't even throw him another glance. He did feel slightly bad as he thought about the possible trouble the man could encounter with his insurance company, be he simply had bigger things to worry about.

Mainly the fact that besides his abilities to see ghosts he also seemed to be…unable to die.

.

.

.

He considered his…predicament for many days. Weeks. Months even.

Whether to test his theory or not. If he tested it and he turned out to have been wrong…he would be dead. If he was right…well that opened a whole different array of problems and questions. He could communicate with ghosts, yet no matter how many of them he talked to, none of them seemed to be able to tell him what happened to them after they died. None of them knew where the ghosts he never saw again went to. Which was…problematic. If death turned out to be final after a short time of the soul remaining in the living world – Ichigo had no desire to end himself that fast.

With a loud thud he let his head collide with his bedroom window.

It was another impossibly hot day outside. Yet he was holed up in his room wondering if he could have accidentally become immortal…No that wasn't quite right. He had to have been born with the trait…if his assumption was correct that is.

Nothing could ever be normal for him, could it?

He wouldn't know the understatement of this question until Rukia Kuchiki quite literally invaded his life.

.

.

.

The third time it happened he did it on purpose.

He had talked to a quite big number of ghosts in his life, so it wasn't as if he was particularly scared of death. Yet he had never really known what would come afterwards. What truly happened to those ghosts he never saw again.

That changed on the day he met Rukia.

Armed with the knowledge that death would send him to another realm; without his memories but with him still fully functioning as far as he was concerned.

He chose a day on which he knew his father was away on an errant and his sisters were both staying with their friends. He hadn't truly planned on doing it. Hadn't woken up that day with the knowledge that he would try to take his own life.

Yet he found himself sitting at his table and writing a letter to his sisters. After all one could never be too sure. He placed it on his bed, next to the blanket his mother had made when she had still been alive and went down into the kitchen.

With a rather nervous breath he opened the drawer containing their knifes and took the biggest and sharpest out. He gently placed it onto the kitchen counter. He then turned and walked into the clinic adjourning their home. With sure steps he made his way towards the medicine cabinet and pulled out a bottle of sleeping pills. Giving it a little shake, he was satisfied to see that the entire thing seemed to be full and almost untouched.

He wandered back into their home, grabbing the knife and trudged up the stairs slowly.

The bathroom would be the sensible option. It wouldn't stain the floor too bad hopefully and would be easier to clean. Whether he would have to be the one to clean up his mess or somebody else was not something Ichigo wished to dwell on for too long.

He stepped into their small bathroom. Looking around he quickly settled onto the bathtub. He took one of the glasses placed on the window still and filled it with tap water before climbing into the bathtub. He reached for the medication first, unscrewing the lid he took a handful out and put them into his mouth without further ado. He quickly reached for the water and washed them down in one go. He had no idea how many that had been. A glance back at the bottle told him that he had taken about half of them. His heart was thundering in his chest even as the pills worked to pull him under. He suppressed the slight tremble in his hands as he reached for the knife, balancing on the edge of the bathtub.

"Come on." He whispered to himself as he placed it against his wrists.

He took another sharking breath before gritting his teeth and pushing downwards.

The knife slid into his wrist, diagonally slicing his veins open. Blood spurted out and instantly covered his clothes and the white tiles around him with red. Gritting his teeth against the pain Ichigo forced his damaged arm to grab onto the hilt and slice into his other wrist too.

The pain was pretty bad. A dull burning that seemed to spread from his wrists into his entire body. He didn't have to endure the pain for long as he felt the edges of his vision begin to blur. The pills really seemed to be doing their job.

Not long after he found himself once again floating in darkness. Hadn't he been as comfortable was he was he would have either jumped for joy or let out a string of curses. This was the same as the previous times. Which meant it would be long until he-

_Thumb _

Ichigo sat up in the bathtub, breathing hard. The blood around him still looked fresh but there were no wounds on his wrists. It was as if he had never even set the knife to his skin, not even the slightest of scar was left behind.

Ichigo swallowed hard. He didn't even want to think about the implications of his discovery. Maybe Rukia could tell him…being a Shinigami and significantly older than him, maybe she had experienced something similar before.

But first of all, he had to clean the bath before his family came back home. Ichigo pulled a face as he looked at the amount of blood surrounding him. The bathroom had definitely been the right choice it seemed.

.

.

.

Asking Rukia whether humans could be immortal had definitely not been the right thing to do, Ichigo though as Rukia dragged him through the streets by his wrist.

Her face at first had been hilarious. She had looked at him as if he was crazy before laughing him off, telling him such a thing was impossible even for a Shinigami. They could become old, centuries old even but no being could ever be immortal.

It had filled Ichigo with a rather disturbing amount of anger. The casual dismissal Rukia had bestowed upon him.

His next action hadn't been his most rational one.

Yes, flinging himself into the river beneath Karakura Bridge had been a _tad_ extreme but not even Rukia could tell him he was wrong when she saw his body bend into an impossible shape upon impact with the water surface and seeing him emerge form the river not 10 minutes later.

Which led him to this situation. Dripping from head to toe and being dragged through the streets by a confused but very determined Shinigami.

They arrived at the shop of Hat'n'Clogs much faster than Ichigo would have liked. Rukia didn't even bother knocking as she flung the door open and marched inside, Ichigos wrist still held in a deadlock.

"Welcome~!" Hat'n'Clogs greeted, his hat pulled deep into his face and lower half covered by his paper fan. "How may I be of help today?"

"He can't die."

Apparently not all Shinigami were capable of subtleties.

To Uraharas credit he only lowered his fan slightly and blinked at Rukia a could of times before his usual smile slid into place and his fan went back to its original place.

"Can't die you say?" He inquired softly. "How about you step inside and tell me the entire story?" He offered, before getting up and leading the way deeper into the house.

They settled into a traditional sitting room, a cup of steaming tea in front of all three of them.

"Now." Urahara said, folding the fan and making it vanish up his sleeves. "Why do you think Kurosaki-kun can't die, Kuchiki-san?"

"He jumped off a bridge." She told him, arms flailing as she spoke and incredulity high in her voice. Uraharas eyes slid from her to Ichigo and he raised his eyebrows.

"She didn't believe me when I told her." Ichigo defended, shrugging at Kisuke helplessly.

"I…see." Urahara said slowly. "Would you mind demonstrating this to me too…You see such a claim is rather…unbelievable I must say…" He trailed off.

Ichigo sighed. It's not like the request came unexpected.

"Sure. Just get me something sharp, or a gun or something. I don't really care." He said.

Kisuke blinked at him a couple of times before beckoning him to follow.

He led them even further into the house, until they reached a trapdoor in the ground. He yanked it open with a flourish and gestured for Ichigo and Rukia to climb in. Ichigo turned as he slowly descended the ladder and couldn't help but be slightly awed at the size of the place which was lying underneath the unsuspecting shopfront.

They reached the ground and Kisuke reached into his Hakama, pulling out a dagger with a way too bright grin and handing it to Ichigo.

Ichigo took the dagger and considered it for a moment. He could slit his wrists, but that meant he would be bleeding out rather slowly, also it hurt like a bitch. Ichigo shook his head at himself. It had hurt every single time he had done it so far, so it wasn't like the pain was unexpected by this point. He'd just rather get this over and done with.

He grabbed the dagger with both hands quickly and positioned it towards his chest. With another deep breath and before Rukias surprised exclamation could stop him he plunged it into his heart. A cough left his lips as he fell to his knees and then to the ground.

It hurt. It hurt a lot.

But…the darkness was already drawing him closer.

Home. Safe. Comfort. Mother. Warm.

_Thumb _

Ichigo sat up, the dagger clattered to the ground next to him. Kisuke was staring at him. Rukia was kneeling next to him.

"See?" He asked.

.

.

.

Not even Hat'n'Clogs had been able to figure it out. He had taken some of Ichigos blood and told him he would try to see if it could be tied to that, but he truly had never seen anything quite like Ichigos 'ability' before.

Ichigo was grumbling quietly under his breath as he made his way towards his room. Telling Rukia hadn't helped him at all.

"Tch." He kicked his door open unceremoniously.

"Ichigooo!" Kon yelled, far too enthusiastically for Ichigos liking. "Nee-san left a letter Ichigo! She tied me to the toilet and left he there! Ohhhh the things I've seen!" The stuffed toy cried out, clutching Rukias letter as he yelled.

"A letter?" Ichigo asked. He plucked it out of Kons arms and quickly scanned it.

Gibberish.

He pulled a face.

"It's written in code! Look!" Kon supplied pointing towards the abmysal drawings added to towards the end of the 'letter'.

Ichigo mulled over the letter for a while, trying to distinguish what animals Rukia had intended to draw.

"She left…?" He asked in disbelieve.

Kons indignant scream didn't fully reach his ears as he grabbed him and stuffed his hand down his throat, fishing for the pill which would allow him to leave his body. He popped it into his mouth quickly and left Kon standing as he dashed out of the window.

"Ichigo!" The faint yell in his own voice followed him.

.

.

.

"Do not worry." Byakuya Kuchiki's cold voice spoke to Rukia. "I have not killed him, only injured him. He will not be able to use his Shinigami powers ever again. Come now, Rukia. We must return."

Ichigo could only watch as Rukia cast one last, sorrowful glance back at him before turning and following her brother, that infuriation red-head at her side.

A curse left his lips as he spat out some blood, he couldn't move. His head and body were becoming heavier.

"Oh dear~!" A familiar voice called out from above him. "Do you need a hand, Kurosaki-kun?" Urahara Kisuke asked, a small smile gracing his features.

"Kill…me…" Ichigo bit out.

The smile on Uraharas face grew as he lifted his cane. "Your wish is my command~!"

Darkness. Warm. Comfort. Home. Safe. Stay.

_Thumb _

Ichigo sat up slowly and pulled a face. He hadn't even realized that he still was a Shinigami. A soul. And Kisuke had just killed him. 'Killed' him. Yet he was sitting up again.

Hat'n'Clogs was still standing next to him, twirling his cane nonchalantly.

"Now, Kurosaki-kun. Would you like some training?" Kisuke asked, turning towards him and pulling his hat deeper into his face with one hand.

Ichigo slowly got up from the ground and dusted himself off.

"Yes!" He said, determination gleaming in his eyes as he stared at the empty air, Rukia had vanished into.

The smile that crossed Kisukes face at his answer should have been warning enough.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** **If you haven't watched the movie 'Harold and Maude' and enjoy a good dark comedy I can recommend it. It has kind of inspired this fanfiction, eventhough I only noticed where I had gotten the inspiration from after I had written and posted the first chapter. Oh well…**

**Anyway, from this point forward the entire story is pretty much Canon, with a few more troubles on the way. Think: Kurotsuchi, Kenpachi, Byakuya for now. Now, no other spoilers from me ;)**

**I'm not sure yet if I'll rewrite the entire series like that or if I will turn it into more of an 'episodic' thing with Ichigo being immortal in several fights throughout Canon. Let me know which one you like better! Formatting would be similar to the first chapter with Ichigos Immortality coming up at different times.**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything!

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Ichigo luckily never had let himself be deterred by a creepy smile, he followed Urahara slowly through the night. He looked down at himself, dismayed by the fact that he no longer was wearing a Shikuhasho, but a plain white Yukata. The broken handle of his sword was still attached to his back but it was the only thing left from his time as a Shinigami. He could no longer feel the power he had held while being a Shinigami – an undercurrent of Reiatsu that seemed to leave his being and sword in tireless waves. It was gone now. Shrunken to a mere pulse. Rukias brother seemed to have gone through with his promise of making Ichigo unable to be a Shinigami any longer.

The green-clad man walking ahead of him was twirling his cane and humming a merry tune under his breath. Ichigo wondered about his mental state.

"Please come in!" Hat'n'Clogs voice startled him out of his thoughts. They were standing in front of the shop, most windows were darkened and the door Urahara had opened led only into darkness. Ichigo didn't even hesitate.

The door slid close behind him with a final 'thud'.

"Now, Kurosaki-kun!" Urahara said, walking past him into the shop. "As you have noticed the powers given to you by Kuchiki-san have completely disappeared, apart from that broken handle on your back that is. But not to worry, your training to regain the powers you have lost will start tomorrow. I suggest resting for now, you will need it. I will prepare one of the spare rooms for you. Your Gikon will hopefully be able to take your place for the next couple of weeks."

He hadn't even posed it as a question, giving Ichigo a sweet smile as he ushered him further into his home and into one of the Tatami-clad rooms before all but throwing a Futon at him and leaving Ichigo behind.

Ichigo blinked and looked around the small room. With a sigh he slowly lowered the futon onto the ground and stretched it out. He should have known the older man would hold him captive here until he deemed Ichigo well prepared enough. He only hoped the shop owner knew a way of sending him into the Seireitei.

A distant memory of Rukia telling him that she knew of somebody that would be able to send her back the second she regained her Shinigami powers, flashed through his mind. He could only hope that Hat'n'Clogs was that someone. Then again, who else around Karakura City had a tie to the Soul Society like the strange man which had 'killed' him and scrapped him off the street? Who was Urahara Kisuke? And why did he know the things he knew?

And why the hell would he offer to train Ichigo? A boy which he hardly knew and only ever had seen in Rukias company. But the shop owner had shown an interest in Ichigos 'ability'. So, his willingness to help could be based on his curiosity regarding his powers.

"Urgh!" Ichigo grumbled and let himself fall onto the futon. He was thinking too much; his head was starting to hurt. First sleep, he could worry about the rest of the world afterwards.

He dozed off almost instantly and didn't wake until the next morning.

The bearded man which was practically lying on top of him had Ichigo almost screaming 'a molester!' at the top of his lungs – until said man introduced himself. Which still didn't explain why he was hovering over Ichigos face quite that close, but Ichigo was getting used to the quirkiness of the people surrounding him.

It appeared that almost everyone who had contact into the world of the dead had some underlying issues or quirks to their personality.

Ichigo could only hope that him 'dying' as often as he had before wouldn't leave behind any long-term damage.

"Now then, Kurosaki-kun!" Urahara chirped quite happily, "let us begin with your training!" The man led him towards his trap door and down into what he explained to be his 'training facility'.

Why he had one or who he had trained before was anybody's best guess.

"Lesson number one!" Urahara exclaimed happily. "A fight against Ururu!" Urahara pointed towards the small girl with pig-tails and a spotted skirt.

"Hahh?!" Ichigo asked, turning towards him incredulously.

"The rules are simple! The training is done as soon as one of you is no longer able to move~!"

"Are you stupid!? There is no way I could hit a little girl!" Ichigo exclaimed hotly.

"Ahaha! Just wait it's much harder to navigate your spirit body now that you are no longer a Shinigami!"

Ururu meanwhile was putting on some protective gear.

She threw some on the ground in front of Ichigo. "Here put these on." She told him without any expression on her little face.

"Or you will die."

It was the last thing Ichigo heard her say before she set out to attack. The ground beneath him crumbled and gave away as he was able to dodge her in the very last second making her little fist collide with the stone floor instead and shattering the surface upon impact.

He ran.

Ururu was hot on his heels following him around the training area and swinging at him whenever possible. With a curse Ichigo dodged another swing and grabbed the protective gear she had thrown him. He put it on and got into position. Waiting for her to draw closer. He assumed a regular boxing stance before ducking one of her punches and delivering his own. Dust suddenly surrounded both of them and Ichigo was flung backwards into a wall.

"Just in time~! Uraharas annoyingly cheerful voice reached him. He was holding Ururu by the arm and had his cane in the other.

"Well done, Kurosaki-kun! You passed your first lesson!"

"…huh?" Ichigo asked, staring at Kisuke uncomprehendingly. "But…but I didn't even get a scratch on her…" He said, pointing towards Ururu.

"Hmm yes quite right! This girl has the power of a Shinigami, there is no way a normal Soul would be able to harm her!" Urahara explained, "But what about your body? Is it still hard to breath? Does it still feel heavy?" He asked.

Ichigo got up slowly and rubbed his neck. It was true, since that Kuchiki guy had taken his Shinigami powers his body had felt heavier, breathing had been hard, even just walking had put a strain on him. But all those ailments have vanished now.

"Gone." He said, sounding a little surprised as he turned towards Kisuke.

"Haha yes, just as I thought. This lesson was a 'Sudden-death-Match' it wasn't about winning but getting the first hit in!" He explained.

Ichigo pulled a face. He should have gone home. The man was as manipulative as they came and took a great amount of amusement out of 'training' Ichigo.

"Well anyway! Congratulations on surviving the first task!" Urahara told him quite sardonically.

"Haha." Ichigo responded, shaking his head at the other man.

"Onto the next lesson!"

"Ohh! So, what's ne-!" It was as far as Ichigo came before he was grabbed by his arms and Tessai all but flung him into a pit that suddenly opened underneath them.

"Uwwaahhh!" he fell down the surprisingly deep pit. Tessai landed on the ground next to him. Ichigo struggled slightly before he felt something take hold of his arms.

"You need to become a Shinigami!" Kisuke yelled down from above. "For that reason, Tessai will start the process of turning your soul into the soul of a Shinigami!" He yelled cheerfully.

"Ohh yeah! I almost forgot!" He added a second later. "If you don't manage to become a Shinigami, you will become a hollow! So better be careful down there~!

"Why, you-?!"

Another seal was added to the ones holding back his arms already. Tessai was kneeling a few feet away casting Kido at him continuously.

"Arg-shit!" Ichigo exclaimed.

He tried struggling against the binds holding him some more – to no avail.

"Tch." He sent a glare towards Tessai. The other man didn't show any reaction, instead he turned and jumped – leaving Ichigo behind in the pit.

"Oi!" Ichigo yelled after him, not that Tessai even acknowledged hearing him.

Ichigos eyes widened and he stared down at the chain coming out of his chest. For some reason it looked rather rusty and old at its beginning – as if it had been ripped apart a long time ago. Ichigo frowned. His eyes widened in horror as the chain seemed to awaken, several small mouths opened and started devouring the chain.

"Oi!" Ichigo yelled once again, rather panicky this time. "Oi! Shitty Hat'n'Clogs! What the hell is this?!"

"Ohh!~" Urahara said, leaning over the edge of the pit and waving his fan at Ichigo. "Ahaha I completely forgot about those! If you don't manage to turn into a Shinigami before the chain has completely vanished – you will, as I said, turn into a Hollow!"

"What!?"

"You better hurry, Kurosaki-kun~!" Was the last thing the infuriating man said before vanishing with one last wave of his fan.

A string of curses left Ichigo as he stared at the chain. It was vanishing at a rather concerning rate. If he didn't hurry he would end up becoming a Hollow. But the other man had given him no instructions or even an inclination as to how he could achieve his Shinigami powers.

What the hell was he supposed to do?

He stared around but saw nothing other than a few pieced of debris lying around him.

Not helpful.

He slowly sat up and stared at the chain once again. Only about 5 inches left. And there was nothing he could do. None of the things Rukia had told him about Shinigami could possible help him in this situation. He once again cursed the man which had so off handedly thrown him into this pit.

If he didn't manage to turn into a Shinigami he would become a Hollow. If he kept his unique ability when he turned into a Hollow…he could become a real problem for the entirety of Karakura City.

Ichigo paled.

Ohh fucking hell!

His eyes widened as he sudden pain started spreading form the point the chain entered his chest all the way into his lungs – his heart – his head. There was a burning feeling in the back of his throat – like he was about to spit fire.

A strangled scream left him as some white unidentifiable substance quelled out of his mouth and eyes.

"Uurraahhhhh-!" Was all the managed to emit. His body was convulsing heavily, fighting against whatever it was that was happening to him.

Then darkness.

It wasn't the same comforting feeling he got when he had…died…once again. No this was different. There was no comforting feeling. No warmth.

But a voice.

"-chigo." It called. "Can you hear me Ichigo?"

Slowly Ichigo opened his eyes and stared around. He seemed to be sitting on a building.

He scrambled backwards and grabbed onto a windowsill quickly.

He was sitting on a building – sideways! What the-?

"There is no need to worry." The voice said once again.

Ichigo looked around. There was a man standing on a flagpole not far from him.

"Who…are you?" Ichigo questioned, letting go of the windowsill and rising slowly.

"Who I am? What are you saying. It's me -." His voice was deep but as he introduced himself it was like a huge ocean was roaring – completely blurring out his name.

Ichigo stared at him in confusion.

"I see…you are still unable to hear me." The man said, lowering his gaze.

"How sad…how many times do I need to call out to you before you will be able to hear ma name? Especially because you are the person that knows me best…in this world." As he spoke he shifted his legs, stepping down from the flag pole and standing on the side of it.

"How the hell did you do that…?!" Ichigo asked him staring at the man.

"Strange…how can you sit in a place like this?"

"Huhh? Uuuuwahhh!" Ichigo fell down the side of the building. 'There is no need to worry' – indeed!

"You still have time to scream? How reassuring." The man said, falling down next to him head first.

"Why are you worrying? You cannot die, can you? A fall like this…is nothing, isn't it?"

"Doesn't mean I wanna, you crazy bastard!" Ichigo yelled back at him.

"If you do not wish to die, then remember! As a Shinigami you were able to manipulate the Reishi in the air! You were able to catch yourself! When Byakuya Kuchiki took your Shinigami powers he indeed did not take 'your' Shinigami powers but those given to you by Rukia Kuchiki. A gross oversight on his part. Find them, Ichigo. Find your own…Shinigami powers."

With that the man stopped his own fall and looked down at Ichigo.

Ichigo gritted his teeth, expecting the hard ground to hit him at any second. Instead he felt…water.

He sank rapidly staring around as he saw a multitude of small white boxes surrounding him.

'Find your own…Shinigami powers.' In those?

Ichigo reached out and grabbed one of the boxed, opening it quickly. There was only a bottomless pit inside, nothing but darkness.

"Tch!" He threw it away.

His own. His own. His own Shinigami powers.

Could he….?

Ichigo took a deep breath, concentrating on the water which was surrounding him.

A call…?

'How many times do I need to call out to you before you will be able to hear my call?'

Slowly Ichigo extended his hand. When he opened them, a small white bow was sitting in his palm.  
"Open it! Quickly! Before your soul turns into a Hollow!" The man yelled at him. He was nowhere in sight, yet his voice was as close as if he was standing next to him.

Without further ado Ichigo ripped open the box and pulled out the handle which was sticking out of it. Waiting for him –

Calling him.

When he opened his eyes again he was still in the pit. He slowly looked down at himself and was pleased to see the standard Shinigami attire he had gotten used to wearing in the last couple of months.

With a slight grin he bent his knees and easily jumped out of the pit.

He landed in a cloud of smoke a few feet away from Urahara, Tessai and the two kids. As the smoke cleared Ichigo realized that a slight weight was sitting on his face.

He reached behind himself and grabbed the broken swords handle. Bringing it to his face he made a short process out of cracking the mask which was sitting on his face.

"Yo!" He said, grinning at the people in front of him.

Urahara started clapping. "Congratulations ~! You managed to turn into a Shinigami at the very last moment!"

Ichigo was hard pressed to ram his sword into Kisukes face.

"On to lesson number three!" Urahara announced, way to cheerfully for Ichigos liking. "There is no time limit on this lesson! All you have to do is knock of the hat I'm wearing~!" He pointed at his hat and finally put away his fan into the depths of his sleeves.

Ichigo had a bad feeling about this, especially when he saw Tessai grab the two children and evacuate the area. He nervously grabbed the hilt of his sword, staring down rather dismayed at the broken pieces of a blade still attached to the handle. Byakuya Kuchiki sure had done a number on the blade. There wasn't much left for Ichigo to attack or parry with.

Urahara grabbed his cane tighter with one swift movement he pulled out a blade. There seemed to be a red gleam in his eyes as he discarded his sheath and swirled his blade gracefully in once hand. The infuriating smile found a way back onto his ageless face.

"Well then! Let us begin~!"

Ichigos bad feeling showed itself to be true as all he was able to do was dodge one vicious swing after the other. The older man sure as hell wasn't going easy on him…or maybe he was. There truly was no telling with the guy.

'Why are you running?' A voice spoke up to him. Ichigo stared in shock as he looked at the man appearing right beside him.

'Abandon your fear. Look forward. Move forward and never stop. Pull back and you will age. Hesitate and you will die. '

'Call my name…Ichigo!'

"Zangetsu!" Ichigo pulled back the handle of the sword, staring mesmerized as a blade formed right in front of his eyes. It was huge, bigger even than the one he had wielded while he held Rukias powers. It seemed to be in the style of a butcher knife with white bandages wrapped around the hilt.

He turned towards Kisuke.

"Better dodge, Hat'n'Clogs." He told him. "Haven't gotten this quite under control yet!"

With that he swung his blade down. Power seemed to leave him in a rush, a feeling like floating filled him as the power rose and settled once again.

He didn't know what happened afterwards, the last thing he felt was Zangetsu in his hands and the hard ground underneath his knees. There might have been an amused chuckle coming from his sadistic mentor – but there truly was not telling.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hey guys, back with another chapter. Sorry for the long absence. This chapter has been lying in wait for quite a while actually but I never got around to posting it unfortunately.

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

* * *

When Ichigo awoke he couldn't tell at first where he was. The room around him was dark, no light falling in from any window; which was strange in any modern build houses. He slowly sat up and stretched his limbs; a few joints cracked painfully, and he winced at the sound.

A soft pull made him turn his head to the right, there leaning against the wall was a huge cleaver sword.

Zangetsu.

The events of the previous day rushed back to him at once. Of course. Psychotic Hat'n'clogs place. He must have fallen asleep after that hellish training the other man had put him through.

"Oh? Finally awake, are you?" A deep voice enquired from the doorway. Ichigos head snapped around, at first, he couldn't see anyone – that was until his eyes slowly lowered and he was looking straight at a midnight black cat. He blinked a few times.

"How the heck did a cat get in here…?" He mumbled as he got up.

"I used the door of course." The cat answered.

The cat…. answered.

"What the actual fu-?!" Ichigo exclaimed backing away as he stared at the…cat?

"Ohh, this reaction will never grow old." The cat said, a satisfied purr accompanying his voice. "My name is Yoruichi, I'm a friend of Kisuke. He has asked me to come and help with your training. Now that you have finally woken up, we can get started. Follow me!"

Ichigo was left staring at the place the cat had been in a second ago.

"Coming?" Yoruichis annoyed voice called.

Still blinking wildly, Ichigo grabbed his Zanpakuto and followed the cat out of the room.

It was gracefully walking towards the trapdoor leading downwards to Kisukes training ground. With one jump Yoruichi vanished down the door. Ichigo shook his head and followed him after a second's hesitation.

"So uhm…Hat'n'Clogs asked you to…train me?" Ichigo asked slowly, still unable to do anything but stare at his…teacher.

"Yes, yes. He's told me a few things about you too. Unable to die are you?" Yoruichi asked, tilting his head.

"Uuhh well yeah I gue-" It was as far as he came before a dagger had embedded itself into his throat. How the cat had thrown it or even how he's carried it was beyond anybody's best guess.

A gurgled sound escaped Ichigos mouth, blood spluttering past his lips as he doubled over.

The same as always. The warmth was gentle and soft. Like one would imagine a cloud. But something was different this time…there was a voice calling from afar.

_Thump _

He sat up again, blinking his eyes in bewilderment.

"Hey! What the he-?" He yelled at Yoruichi pushing away any thoughts about the voice he might have heard just now.

"Ohh calm down. Being unable to die is such an outrageous claim, of course I was going to test it." Yoruichi told him, sitting elegantly on his hindlegs, his tails swishing left and right.

"Doesn't mean you can just walk around stabbing people! And how the hell did you throw that thing?" Ichigo asked, gesturing towards the dagger lying next to him. His own blood was still coating his throat and the floor.

"Ahh damn it..." Ichigo mumbled whipping at the blood in dismay.

"Tell me, boy." Yoruichi began. "Do you think this ability of yours will prevent you from dying all together? You should keep in mind that there are things far worse than death out there – just because your fatal injuries heal quickly does not mean you will not lose some time while getting killed. It took you about ten seconds to come to again after I stabbed you."

Ichigo blinked at him.

"Ten seconds?" Ichigo asked slowly. "It seems…like the time between my deaths and me waking up again are getting shorter. The first time I experienced it I was gone for a few minutes at least…The second time was…shorter than that. Any of the other times have also been shorter…If I'm not mistaken." Ichigo said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Yoruichi blinked at him. "I see…We can test this theory if you wish?"

A bitter laugh escaped Ichigo. "Yeah sure, today seems like a good day to die a few times." He told him sardonically.

A glint of mischief entered Yoruichi's eyes as he sat up slowly – Ichigo swore if cats were able to smile there would be a frightening grin stretching over his face by this point.

He sighed and lazily threw the dagger back towards Yoruichi.

"Might as well get started." He intoned.

"I'll try to be gentle." The cat in front of him purred, tail flickering in excitement.

"Of course you will." Ichigo mumbled.

"What was that?" Yoruichi inquired. Ichigo quickly shook his head. He had an inkling that it had been the wrong thing to say for in the next 10 minutes he found himself dying the second he once again opened his eyes.

After what felt like the hundredths time he was finally able to catch a coherent thought before he met the ground once again with a sickening crunch.

The intervals between his deaths became shorter and shorter as did his refraction time. By the time they were done Yoruichi was wearing a satisfied smirk and the ground in Urahara's basement had turned a deep dark red, splatters of blood sticking to the boulders surrounding the area and creating an intrinsic pattern.

"Good job!" Yoruichi sang happily licking some blood from his paws.

Ichigo sat up and glared at him.

"Sadistic cat." He muttered under his breath. Apparently not quietly enough as a dagger hit him right in the center of his skull and he was once again knocked out.

"How many seconds?" He asked as he sat up, deeming it unnecessary to reprimand the cat.

"About two seconds." Yoruichi informed him with a satisfied purr. "Now that we have lowered the time limit I think it is time to move on to other things. Mainly speaking Zanjutsu as well as your abysmal control over your Reiatsu."

Ichigo grumbled something once again.

"What was that?" Yoruichi asked with a flick of her tail.

"Nothing!" Ichigo intoned quickly, sitting up.

"My, my. The two of your sure were busy, weren't you?" Kisuke asked as he stepped down into his training grounds his eyes glued to the deep red now splattering the area.

"Indeed we have been quite busy. Haven't we, Ichigo?" Yoruichi asked, stepping around the blood puddles on the floor to step closer towards Kisuke. "I was just talking to him about Zanjutsu and the need to control this massive amount of Reiatsu of his." She informed the Shopkeeper.

Kisuke took a hold of his head and gave a single nod. "I take it, you would like for me to take over now?"

Yoruichi didn't deem it necessary to answer as she stepped past him and took perch on one of the rocks around the area.

"Very well. "Kisuke said, turning towards Ichigo. "So far we've had quite a bit of fun reinstalling your powers. But there is more to a fight than hacking away at your enemy . the one with the superior amount of Reiatsu or strength doesn't necessarily win if that someone does not know how to use all their power." The very pointed look thrown Ichigo's way made him want to avert his eyes and shift his feet. He fought the urge and met Kisuke's stare head on.

"So teach me." Was all he said, stubborn edge to his jawline and arms crossed.

Kisuke smiled. "As you wish."

.

.

.

Ichigo knew now what hell was. He had been sure regaining his powers had already been the peek (or rather rock bottom) of Kisuke's cruelty but the man seemed to have an endless stream of training exercises and ideas floating around in that head of his. Interrupted only by the times Yoruichi taught him how to Shunpo across half of Karakura and back in hardly a step. (Meaning seemingly endless rounds of tag with the cat)

He was currently lying back in one of Kisukes hot springs massaging away the many bruises strewn across his body. He could already tell that he was improving – as much as he was loath to admit – both Yourichi and Kisuke were rather capable teachers; if unnecessarily sadistic in their ways.

Another week left – one week to get strong enough to right against that asshole of a brother Rukia had.

One week until his friends execution.

.

.

.

"Excited?" Kisuke asked him in a cheerful voice.

Ichigo only scowled harder at him. Uryu and Chad were flanking either side of him – Orihime was engaging in an animated discussion about the extensive underground training grounds with Tessai .

"Now, now. No need for dirty looks. See the Sekaimon is already prepared. For a few words of advice first –"

"No need." The familiar voice of Yoruichi spoke up. "I will accompany them. Just one thing before we go in there, kids. Run as fast as you can. The Cleaner is passing through at the moment."

"Cleaner?" Uryu echoed, pushing up his glasses with his index finger.

Yoruichi nodded. "It makes sure that the passage way towards the Soul Society stays unoccupied by hollows or souls or anything that would refuse to pass onto the other side. We should definitely not get caught by it."

All the boys nodded while Orihime bounced on the back of her heels.

"Go!"

.

.

.

Landing just on the outskirts of the Seireitei they couldn't help but stare at the endless amount and rows of identical houses.

Before Yoruichi could warn them not to they had stepped close enough to active the defense wall of te Seireitei. Jindanbon staring down at them his axes already halfway drawn.

Ichigo felt rather bad for destroying them in the end – the guy seemed nice enough with him opening the gate for them and all that.

Their luck couldn't last much longer of course.

A silver haired man with a fox like smile appeared out of thin air right behind the gentle giant they had just defeated.

"My, my. Do tell me, Gatekeeper, why you deem it necessary to open the gate?" The man inquired, smile never wavering.

Jindanbon threw a look over his shoulder. "Ichimaru-taichou!" He exclaimed. "I have been defeated, sir. It is now my duty to open the gate."

"Ohh, there seems to be quite the misunderstanding here…you see a Gatekeeper only counts as defeated when he is dead."

Ichigo didn't even need to be told to draw Zangetsu and jump in front of the attack aimed at the back of Jindanbon.

He didn't bother with deflecting the blow – choosing to rather let the blade run right through his abdomen. He was rather used to the pains of getting stabbed by now – curtsy of Yoruichi of course. The cat was nothing but a devil and nobody would ever convince him otherwise. He had sworn he would dunk her into water at least once before he died for real.

But there would hopefully be enough time for that after dealing with the creepily smiling silver haired man across from him.


End file.
